Facade
by eternallydaydreaming
Summary: When your life has been nothing more than one lie after another, how do you sever the chains that continues to bind you to your past?


A/N: Based on a fic request from an anonymous source on Tumblr based on the perspective of being betrayed by a significant other. Enjoy!

* * *

Has everything about his life been a lie? Prompto stared at the form before him. Her hands and knees pressed into the powdery snow. His trembling hand aimed the gun to the back of her head. Cold air stung his eyes as he blinked rapidly to retain moisture. She turned her head in attempt to see her executioner better.

"Don't move!" he commanded, his voice hoarse from the thin, freezing air.

 _If you're going to do it, then do it now_ , Prompto coaxed himself. Deep down he knew the longer he lingered, the harder it would be. _But I'm not a monster._

 _Are you sure?_ his mother's voice taunted him.

 _After all, mommy dear did abandon you for that very reason_ , Ardyn's deep voice chimed in.

Yet another person who wore a mask. The fallen king parading as an imperial chancellor. The mother who concealed her rebellious intent, living the double life as an imperial spy within Insomnia's walls. The same woman who knowingly adopted an infant magitek specimen intended to be cultivated into a full-fledged soldier, infiltrating Lucis from within. That is until his parents abandoned him. Left to fend for himself at the tender age of twelve, just old enough to know not to let himself starve. Many nights he cried himself to sleep wondering what he did to lose their love. Friendless at school, Prompto often secluded himself to a lone corner until his paths crossed with an equally lonesome prince. Their unlikely friendship gave reprieve to the notion he was a truly unwanted soul.

Then Prompto began college. While his studies in mechanical engineering was cut short due to the grand road trip, Prompto did not leave without meeting _her_ first. Lilith was a fellow technophile. A girl who routinely hacked her devices in order to maximize their usage. Her eyes sparkles whenever they discussed new technological advances and fantasized on having the latest models. A kindred spirit, but relationship he put in hold in order to see the world, leaving only a promise to return after Noctis's wedding.

"Why?" he simply asked. He no longer knew what to think. He only wished to know what in his life had been real.

"Do you not yet understand Prompto?" Lilith's voice lacked fear even in the face of impending death. "After all, this hell of a life started because of Lucis."

. . .

Strolling through the urban park, Prompto noticed Lilith's loose grip on his hand. In fact her fingers didn't curl around his at all. The only reason her hand didn't slip out was because of his own fingers interlaced with hers. Her lips were pressed firmly into a thin line while she stared blankly at the concrete below her. This was not how he imagined their first day of summer break. Holding the picnic basket in his other hand he decided he would wait until they at least arrived at their destination and could sit down.

Thanks to strategic planning the couple arrived early enough to find a lone tree whose canopy provided protection of from the sun's otherwise unhampered rays. Prompto whipped open the blanket and helped Lilith sit down as she smoothed her skirt under her. Prompto watched her as she continued to stare into the distance; her sorrowful eyes betraying what should have been a cheerful date.

"Is…I…," Prompto was at a loss on how to progress, fearing one false word may inadvertently earn her scorn. "Did something happen before I picked you up?"

Lilith turned, surprised by the question. Prompto truly had no idea anything was amiss when he scheduled the picnic in the park. It wasn't his fault that she never told him.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I guess I just thought I would have been alright going out. Sometimes memories are just too powerful to push aside."

Prompto sat up straighter and waited for Lilith to take the lead. Exhaling softly, Lilith kept her gaze focused on her hands as they fiddled nervously with her skirt.

"I never told you that I'm not from Insomnia. I come from a small town in the southern part of the continent…in the Cleigne province. When Imperial forces took over, we were at their mercy. King Regis didn't send troops to us in time, and we were left to fend for ourselves. I lost my dad and big brother during the siege. It didn't take long for us to be overwhelmed, and then suddenly, as if in the blink of an eye, we were an occupied region. Today is the anniversary of that event…the day my family was torn apart."

She turned to see Prompto staring with guilty eyes. His lips parted but no sound came out. Lilith wrapped her arms around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You don't need to pity me. I-I thought I would have been okay coming out. Honestly, I thought the summer air would help distract me. I guess the pain just can't be cast aside so easily."

Prompto snaked his arm out of Lilith's embrace, wrapped it around her shoulders, and drew her to his chest. His other arm reached up and completed the hug.

"I'm sorry about your family. War is such a bitch. So many people lost loved ones, displaced from their homes, and there isn't much of an army left to protect us."

A derisive snort flared through her nostrils. Lilith pulled out of his embrace and stared deep into his eyes. "Do you really believe that's the big issue, Prompto?"

Prompto sat silently, taken back by her sudden anger. While his embrace loosened, one arm remained around her shoulders. Lilith did not pull out of his grasp but sat straighter so she could lock eyes with him.

"A child of Insomnia wouldn't understand, I suppose. You spent your life enjoying the security of the wall."

Shifting his gaze, Prompto stared at the invisible shield. The only hint that it existed was how it distorted the sky.

"King Regis keeps all of his forces here. He only allows a select few to travel with him otherwise all soldiers stay in the city in order to protect himself and the prince. The closer you live to Insomnia, the better your chances are to receive any attention or aid. The rest of us were doomed, especially when Niflheim was attacking multiple regions. There's a reason Galahd received support first and more of their children survived than all of the towns in Cleigne. It's all about proximity and what benefits the crown."

A solitary tear rolled down her cheek as she reminisced on the old days of running through the fields with her brother. Of all the laughter they shared. And her father's bedtime stories as she sat in his lap by the fireplace.

"This war will end one day, Prompto and I guarantee with the way King Regis has been playing his cards, Niflheim had already won this a long time ago."

. . .

"How long?" he whispered hoarsely.

Lilith again attempted to turn her head so she could see eye to eye with Prompto.

"I said not to move!"

In his rage, his arm quivered more. The gun barely remained fixed on its target. He couldn't stand looking at her face. To be reminded of the trip to the carnival; he gave her a giant stuffed bear that he earned from a shooting game. Or the evening carriage ride through the city. Or their silly photoshoots and selfies. He refused to look into eyes that glistened like crystals when she laughed at his quips.

"How long have you been working for them?" he demanded as the tear he fought to hold back finally succumbed to gravity. The salty drop stung his red wind chapped cheek. "How long had you put up this façade?"

"The whole time," she stated matter-of-factly. No use in trying to sweet talk her way out of this one. "You were my mission. When your parents went rogue, Niflheim lost track of you. I was sent to find you. When I was able to confirm you were the implanted magitek and learned that you had grown close to Prince Noctis, I was ordered to activate you. But then you left to escort Prince Noctis to Altissia."

Prompto thought back to their first night together. His pulse raced as she slowly removed his clothes, thrilled yet reserved in his actions as he was unsure how to proceed. Despite his insistence to keep his armband on, he lost control of all his senses once her tongue began teasing every inch of him. By the morning he finally noticed the band had been discarded. While she slept he quickly showered and replaced the armband on his wrist. Prompto just prayed that the room was dark enough to conceal his tattoo.

Although that would seem to not be the case after all. While he never fully understood the significance of the barcode, it appeared Lilith indeed had complete knowledge of what it meant.

Clasping his free hand onto the butt of the gun, Prompto stabilized the weapon. He stared down the barrel, focusing his aim at the unprotected base of the skull. Furrowing his brows, he cocked the gun. As he prayed for the gods to show him mercy, images of all those who had deceived him flashed before his eyes. Then one last image infiltrated in his mind's eyes – an image of what he was supposed to be – an emotionless soldier clad in a bionic imperial uniform.

Bang!

Prompto didn't even realize his index finger was pulling the trigger. The gunshot snapped him back to reality. The white snow was now stained red as it quickly soaked up the blood spilling from the lifeless body. He stared down at her completely devoid of his anger and hurt. Yet he felt nothing else: no sorrow, no relief. It was just over now.

Turning his back, Prompto began his long march down the mountain. It was ten in the morning and the sun was already descending toward the horizon. Since Noctis's disappearance, the hour of the daemons kept approaching sooner. Before long, there will be no refuge offered once the day's light has been permanently extinguished.

During his long walk, Prompto reflected on the many masks that people wear. Even Noctis was not immune as he paraded as a normal citizen despite his royal birth.

 _People may be able to maintain their façade, but I refuse to keep my mask on. Too long I unknowingly concealed myself from the world. No more! I may not be a Lucian son but Niflheim does not own me either. I am now Prompto Argentum, Daemon Slayer. Once Noctis returns, I will be his liege. I'll stand by his side as he restores the light and save humanity from the Starscourge._


End file.
